A typical aquarium includes a transparent tank for holding water and fish, an air pump, and a water filter. The pump continuously aerates the water, i.e., adds oxygen thereto, through a submerged, highly porous "air stone" or diffuser, which breaks up the air into a great number of tiny air bubbles. The filter removes debris and waste matter when the water is circulated through it by either a mechanical pump, or by water current generated by the rapidly rising air bubbles from the diffuser. Most aquariums are bulky and heavy, so that they must be supported on a sturdy floor stand or desk. Such arrangements consume valuable floor or desk space, and also position the aquariums at below eye level, so that a person must bend or kneel down to view the aquatic life.
Various wall-mounted aquariums have been proposed for being positioned at eye level for convenient viewing, and that require zero footprint for conserving space. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,874,336 to Murphy (1975); 4,353,327 to Shroyer (1982); and 4,967,694 to Waldman (1990) show aquariums for mounting on walls. The Murphy device is a simple fish bowl with a mounting plate and a light; the Shroyer device includes an ornamental picture frame surrounding a relatively thin tank with a graphical background; and the Waldman device includes a bracket for slidably receiving the tank and interchangeable background art. However, none of these aquariums includes an aeration and filtration system. Therefore they are limited to keeping rugged aquatic life, such as gold fish, that can survive in dirty water with low oxygen content. Although separate aeration and filtration systems can be added, none of these aquariums includes storage space for holding accessories. As a result, a bundle of unsightly wires and hoses must dangle from the tanks to connect to external pumps and wall-mounted power sockets.
Aquariums with self-contained aeration and filtration systems have also been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,945 to Liao (1993) shows a tank divided by a partition extending between the front and back thereof into a primary compartment for holding larger fish, and a smaller secondary compartment for holding smaller fish. A U-shaped filter is disposed within the secondary compartment. An air hose with a diffuser at its distal end is positioned within a submerged bubble tube or conduit. Rapidly rising air bubbles emitted from the diffuser create an upwardly moving water current within the bubble conduit to draw water through the filter. However, the small bubble conduit has a limited carrying capacity and a correspondingly low pumping rate. Furthermore, the longitudinal partition reduces the width and therefore the display area of the primary compartment. Also the unsightly accessories, such as the pump, hoses, and bubble conduit, are all plainly visible, and therefore detract from the display of the fish. U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,421 to Weinstein (1994) also shows a tank divided by a longitudinal partition into a habitation compartment for holding fish, and a filtration compartment housing an electric water pump and a filter assembly. Again, the compartments side-by-side arrangement reduces the width of the tank's display area.
A wall-mounted aquarium with a decorative picture frame is disclosed in a brochure of Boschert Aquatics, Los Gatos, Calif. It has a built-in, triangular bubble conduit partitioned from a corner of the tank, and a built-in under-gravel filter. However, the conduit has a small cross-section and low carrying capacity, so that its aeration and filtration efficiencies are low. Furthermore, the cropped corner of the tank, i.e., the triangular bubble conduit, gives the interior of the tank an irregular and untidy appearance. The bubble conduit is opaque, so that it hides the attractive bubbles. The aquarium has no storage space for the pump, which must be positioned outside of the device, such as on the floor or a desk. It is also not illuminated, so that optimal viewing is only possible in strong ambient light.
These and all other prior art aquariums are either mere fish bowls without aeration or filtration, or have an inadequate or poorly arranged aeration and filtration system. Some aquariums include a filtration system that uses a small bubble conduit with limited carrying capacity; some are divided into side-by-side habitation and filtration compartments that reduce the width of the display area; some are not illuminated, so that they do not optimally display the colorful fish kept therein; and some include no storage space for accessories, so that a bundle of unsightly wires and hoses must dangle therefrom.